The 49ers victory over the Seahawks served notice that San Francisco isn't ready to give up the NFC West crown. The Week 14 victory marks the team's third straight win, a benchmark victory for the season following wins over St. Louis and Washington.

The two teams combined for 36 points but exchanged six different leads. In the second half, San Francisco held Seattle to three points and 83 total yards of offense.

San Francisco won this game on the ground, rushing for 163 yards on 33 carries, highlighted by Frank Gore's 51-yard dash to set up the game-winning field goal. Seattle's third ranked rushing attack only gained 86 yards on 23 carries.

The stingy 49ers defense has held opponents to 36 points in their last three games.

Make no mistake: the 49ers needed this game more than Seattle.

During the postgame handshake between coaches, a smiling Pete Carroll looked at Jim Harbaugh as if to say, "Don't worry, we're still going to win the division and have home field advantage in the playoffs."

And that's a good thing for Pete because Seattle, although better on the road than its harshest critics believe, is a much more dominant team at home.

The 'Hawks are 6-0 at home and 5-2 on the road, with losses at San Francisco (19-17) and Indianapolis (34-18). That's a combined eight points for those of you who are math-deficient.